ReMiXeDg

so i want to buy a maxima. How can i check for radiator support rust where do I look exactly.

Anything else I should look for.

I seen a nice maxima for sale has minor rust on quarter panels should I stay away from it.

How can i check for oil burning.

Cotozic

You can very easily check the radiator support by just looking through the lower opening on the front bumper. Check directly in the center for a beam at the bottom of the radiator. The rust forms all along this beam, and below where the drive train support is bolted to the support. It will just look like it's rusting out. You can search for pictures of severity. I think most cars will have this problem at this age.

Wheel well rust is also very common. Ideally, get one without or very low rust there on the wheel wells. It can be fixed, but with all things, it costs money and won't be guaranteed not to return. I've had it fixed and slowly but surely, it's peaking through again. This is also extremely common on these cars, especially if they were driven in winter.

Oil burning is harder to tell. There are ways to fix oil burning, but there are also many potential causes. On the 3.5, you can suspect oil burning if it still has the original valve covers. Check in front and behind the motor for signs of oil dripping down from the valve covers. They're known to leak oil from these areas, and are known for leaking oil through the spark plug gaskets. Obvioisly, check for other leaks. Other than that though, most of the time with the 02/03 3.5, it's hit or miss with oil burning.